--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is nonetheless the best usage that…" description: "\"It is nonetheless the best usage that decides the meaning of words.\" — Wilson Follett" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b54/wilson-follett-55579_language_it-is-nonetheless-the-best-usage-that-de_21918.jpg" --- # It is nonetheless the best usage that decides the meaning… ![“It is nonetheless the best usage that decides the meaning of words.” quote by Wilson Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b54/wilson-follett-55579_language_it-is-nonetheless-the-best-usage-that-de_21918.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b54/wilson-follett-55579_language_it-is-nonetheless-the-best-usage-that-de_21918.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b54/wilson-follett-55579_language_it-is-nonetheless-the-best-usage-that-de_21918.jpg) > “It is nonetheless the best usage that decides the meaning of words.” [Wilson Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-follett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Meaning emerges from practical application, not from abstract definitions. **In simple terms:** Usage shapes definition. Key Takeaway Words gain sense through use. Themes semantics pragmatics language evolution communication Mood thoughtful analytical Type aphor observation When to use this quote - writing - teaching - translation - legal drafting Key Concepts meaning context interpretation Practical Applications - lexicography - language education Questions to Reflect On - How does context alter a word's meaning? - Can a word's usage change its definition? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Meanings of words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meanings-of-words/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) ## Related quotes > [Language can still be an adventure if we remember that words can make a kind of melody. In novels, news stories, memoirs and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-hale/language-can-still-be-an-adventure-if-we-remember-that-words-can-make/) [Constance Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-hale/) > [If language is to be of any use to us, then we ought to try and preserve the meaning of words, and 'god' historically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/if-language-is-to-be-of-any-use-to-us-then-we-ought-to-try-and/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [The investigation of the meaning of words is the beginning of education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antisthenes/the-investigation-of-the-meaning-of-words-is-the-beginning-of/) [Antisthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antisthenes/) > [“My words don't add meaning to your beauty, your beauty adds meaning to my words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harpreet-singh-nanda/my-words-don-t-add-meaning-to-your-beauty-your-beauty-adds-meaning-to/) [Harpreet Singh Nanda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harpreet-singh-nanda/) > [It is not that things give meaning to words; it is that meaning makes things "things." It does not make things in their subsistence;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-weaver/it-is-not-that-things-give-meaning-to-words-it-is-that-meaning-makes/) [Richard M. Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-weaver/) > [I have no soul, no conscience. Floating for one meaning. Three words, I left you with. Three words, I left you with](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-craig/i-have-no-soul-no-conscience-floating-for-one-meaning-three-words-i/) [Jonny Craig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-craig/) > [He doesn't know the meaning of the word fear, but then again he doesn't know the meaning of most words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-bowden/he-doesn-t-know-the-meaning-of-the-word-fear-but-then-again-he-doesn/) [Bobby Bowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-bowden/) > [“MANY believe in what others say. Don't analyse the meaning of words, nor the whole sentences, phrases or other linguistic classifications”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-loskov/many-believe-in-what-others-say-don-t-analyse-the-meaning-of-words/) [Kimberly Loskov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-loskov/) > [Wisdom is not in words; Wisdom is meaning within words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/wisdom-is-not-in-words-wisdom-is-meaning-within-words/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [If language is not rectified, words do not correspond to meaning, and if words do not correspond to meaning, our deeds cannot be accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/if-language-is-not-rectified-words-do-not-correspond-to-meaning-and/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [He doesnt know the meaning of the word fear but then again he doesnt know the meaning of most words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/he-doesnt-know-the-meaning-of-the-word-fear-but-then-again-he-doesnt/) [Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/) > [“good-bad,right-wrong,once you tag things like that,you lose the ability to see the complete truth… A murderer can also be a loving father. Don't tag…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-tendulkar/good-bad-right-wrong-once-you-tag-things-like-that-you-lose-the/) Vijay Tendulkar > [“A man interested in the meaning of words, not one whose interests leave words meaningless.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/a-man-interested-in-the-meaning-of-words-not-one-whose-interests/) [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) > [And people get all fouled up because they want the world to have meaning as if it were words... As if you had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-people-get-all-fouled-up-because-they-want-the-world-to-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The meaning of the words is necessary and not their extent. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sorin-cerin/the-meaning-of-the-words-is-necessary-and-not-their-extent/) [Sorin Cerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sorin-cerin/) ## More by Wilson Follett > [Whenever we can make 25 words do the work of 50, we halve the area in which looseness and disorganization can flourish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-follett/whenever-we-can-make-25-words-do-the-work-of-50-we-halve-the-area-in/) [Wilson Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-follett/) > [The good oxymoron, to define it by a self-illustration, must be a planned inadvertency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-follett/the-good-oxymoron-to-define-it-by-a-self-illustration-must-be-a/) [Wilson Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-follett/) > [Prose is not necessarily good because it obeys the rules of syntax, but it is fairly certain to be bad if it ignores them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-follett/prose-is-not-necessarily-good-because-it-obeys-the-rules-of-syntax/) [Wilson Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-follett/) > [The choosing among words is made by every user of the language, and not exclusively by professional speakers and writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-follett/the-choosing-among-words-is-made-by-every-user-of-the-language-and/) [Wilson Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-follett/) > [No one should ever have to read a sentence twice because of the way it is put together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-follett/no-one-should-ever-have-to-read-a-sentence-twice-because-of-the-way/) [Wilson Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-follett/) [Explore all 6 Wilson Follett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-follett/) ## More Language quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) Ted Martinez > [Usually male directors have to use foul language to get the job done. 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Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [“I only have two words to say More or Less”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timbur/i-only-have-two-words-to-say-more-or-less/) TimBur > [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/) [Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/) > [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. 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I ran out of words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghib-clitso/you-re-beautiful-cute-pretty-gorgeous-and-fuck-i-ran-out-of-words/) [Raghib Clitso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghib-clitso/) > [The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-a-soul-and-whoever-understands-that-soul-can-also/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“The words for what I want to say right now don't exist. Everything sounds…so cliché.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelly-crane/the-words-for-what-i-want-to-say-right-now-don-t-exist-everything/) [Shelly Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelly-crane/) > [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. 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(To action little, less to words inclinded.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/finxerunt-animi-raro-et-perpauca-loquentis-to-action-little-less-to/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [For comedy action, I must know the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/for-comedy-action-i-must-know-the-language/) [Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/) [Browse all 21,951 Language quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is nonetheless the best usage that decides the meaning of words.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Wilson Follett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-follett/it-is-nonetheless-the-best-usage-that-decides-the-meaning-of-words/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Language" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-follett/it-is-nonetheless-the-best-usage-that-decides-the-meaning-of-words/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b54/wilson-follett-55579_language_it-is-nonetheless-the-best-usage-that-de_21918.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b54/wilson-follett-55579_language_it-is-nonetheless-the-best-usage-that-de_21918.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b54/wilson-follett-55579_language_it-is-nonetheless-the-best-usage-that-de_21918.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is nonetheless the best usage that decides the meaning of words.” — Wilson Follett", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Wilson Follett", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-follett/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is nonetheless the best usage...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-follett/it-is-nonetheless-the-best-usage-that-decides-the-meaning-of-words/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-follett/it-is-nonetheless-the-best-usage-that-decides-the-meaning-of-words/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```